Gender and the "performative" hobby
I've noticed a new trend of people on the internet accusing hobbies and interests of being performative. I see multiple sides to it, so I wanted to discuss it's function. The first thing to note is that this is absolutely a gendered thing. This is why it’s different than just calling someone a poser. Calling something performative is usually in the context of performing for the other sex. This doesn't make much sense on paper, but in the way that it's most commonly used is in the context of gender.
It seems like the origin of this trend was a genuine complaint. It was mainly women noticing that sometimes their shared interests with a prospective dating partner turned out to be overplayed. This is a very valid complaint. I don't think it's a necessarily patriarchal issue, but I’m sure it happens all the time.
Because of it's origin being firmly placed, it's a distinctly governing statement. It is meant to identify disingenuous dissent from gender norms, and because of this, It usually serves to enforce gender norms. It attacks the "alternative" gender expression. I don't mean non-cis, I mean the self contained oppression Margret Atwood was talking about. The performance of not attending to the male gaze, is ultimately a function of the male gaze. Who is more sexualized, the blond hair, blue eye, country girl? or the the misandrist goth girl with a skullet? How many romance movies center around a milk toast loser boy falling for the eccentric manic pixie dream girl? Where the value the male lead provides is simply enduring the romantic interest. It places his desire as a uniquely valuable currency. This is all to say that the accusation of performance attacks the non-performant. It says "you pretend like you exist without my permission, but this I do not permit!" It's the very same value of aesthetic judgement governing gender norms.
I do want to reiterate that this stems from a genuine complaint, and inconsistencies between how someone presents may be reason for correctly identifying something performant. Just keep in mind if the behavior is more fake than anything else. I don't think anyone acts completely out of the gaze of others.
As of writing this it has already gotten quite bitter. I see men accusing women of being "performative weird girls" and women saying things like "men only read performatively." To me, these are insane. It's true that men statistically read less and almost everyone would consider reading attractive. Everyone likes weird girls! Why are we saying this? Aside from the same self governing gender norms, these are mainly just insults. Their function is very interesting, though. Calling someone, for example, a performative skater is an insane gatekeeping strategy. It demeans one’s participation while cementing your own as the proctor of in and out group. "You are no Scotsman, and I would know, for I am the ultimate Scotsman!" Again, it's adding immense value to personal aesthetic judgement. It’s other function turns the participation into a malicious thing. Not only are you NOT a real Scotsman, you are simply pretending to be one to get laid (or whatever). It’s like calling someone a poser.
TL;DR:
- the term performative is a gender thing
- it has valid use, but is mainly used to be mean
- it is harmful to the "real" community of people (goth, skater, reader, etc)
- it's main function is to enforce gender norms.